Opening up a new dynamic with iLottery

As betting products become more sophisticated and provide bettors with a more varied betting option, therefore in order to retain its position as a stalwart betting product, the development of iLottery is increasingly important.

iLottery is not limited to providing solely a lotto betting platform, it’s a state-of-the-art tech, modular software system that can deliver entire ‘business in a box’ solutions to any lottery market worldwide.

In the lotto betting space, unlike the competition who tend to resell an in-house engine that remains limited to their particular niche, LOT.TO has approached the market from the ground up to design a solution that can deliver the right result for any operator.

Rob Lawson, Head of Customer Success at LOT.TO outlined the importance of lottery in the current growing gaming climate: “The lottery sector accounts for 30% of the global gaming industry, which is expected to turn over $635bn by 2020. Yet, in terms of adopting technology and embracing the opportunities offered by the internet, lottery remains way behind the curve, especially when compared to other gaming channels, such as betting and casino.

“Because most lotteries are controlled by state or national governments, many of which see the internet as hard to control and police, the sector has been very slow in moving forward with online sales and promotion. This is most obvious in the USA, where the institutionalised distrust of online gambling means that some of the world’s richest lotteries, including Mega Millions and Powerball, cannot be played online.”

That being said, although progress has been far from fast paced, there has been progress nonetheless, specifically with regards to how lottery has evolved as an online product: “The UK’s Camelot has offered online sales since 2003 and sites offering access to overseas lotteries have expanded rapidly in the eight years since 2010, moving from a little-known niche to a multi-billion pound business sector, although even this is only scratching the surface in terms of global sales potential.”

Furthermore, the in order to fully expand its online footprint, the importance of embracing the iLottery industry can’t be understated: “iLottery opens up a whole new dynamic for players who were previously limited to their own national lottery games. This isn’t just down to bigger jackpots – although that is most certainly the key driver when games like Powerball are hitting $1.5 billion – It’s also about better odds (ie. Irish Lotto) and more cash prizes (ie. German Lotto). Put simply, it’s about choice and you will find that many people who play overseas lottery online will continue to play their homegrown games as well.

“The basic premise of a lottery game is perfectly suited to online play. Online operators can offer a mixture of weekly, daily and instant play games, based on both official state lotteries and internal draws, made using a Random Number Generator (RNG). Because these games tend to be based on the insured model, they can also be more flexible, offering features such as jackpot-only, multi-lottery combo games or even prizes that are tailored to suit a certain market.”

The lottery industry adapts to each market that it looks to attract, an evolution that is heavily aided by the expansion of the iLottery. Lawson points to the Nigerian market as an example: “Western Lotto offers games that are specifically tailored to suit local tastes and spending power. It’s possible to play a single line on Powerball for just 25p, with prizes of up to £30,000, or you can play the Max games, which offer full-fat cash payouts. These are based on a single line syndicate, with prizes divided between shares that cost around 50p. Both models provide an accessible and realistic entry point for Nigerian players.

“The other key benefit of iLottery is that it lends itself perfectly to online play, something we will be displaying, when we exhibit at ICE Totally Gaming in London (Stand: N9-206). Currently, more than 55% of UK players now use a handheld device for their gaming transactions, a figure that increases to 85% or more in emerging markets, such as Africa, where most people use an Android phone as their single source of internet access. This means that iLottery sites need to be fully adaptable to all platforms, with none of the playing experience being lost on a smaller screen. Apps are great, but they rely on someone downloading them, and may not function well on a slow connection.”

Lawson concluded by emphasising that: “The iLottery revolution is only just beginning and we expect 2018 to be the year when it truly takes off. The African, Asian and Latam markets are opening up to the huge prizes and preferential odds offered by lotteries, while in the USA we are seeing movement as Pennsylvania prepares to offer online sales on its state lottery. Growth for the global iLottery is forecast at 16% for the year, but we think it could go even higher as more and more markets open up.”

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